How can I kick this yeast diaper rash?

[crystal_buffaloe]

Okay, so this is my first post in Toddlers, but DD is definitely toddling!

I am pretty sure we are dealing with a yeast diaper rash, and it seems to be getting worse instead of getting better. I am on antibiotics right now for strep, and I know that's what caused it.

We are doing probiotics and putting Lotramin on the rash itself. I also dried her diaper area off after her bath tonight with a hairdryer on low cool from about 8-10 inches away. She's gone diaperless for about 20-30 min the last three days.

It started as a few pustules on the fatty pad over her pubic bone and now it is red all over (spread to her butt cheeks) and the pustules have gone crazy. It looks HORRIBLE, and I think is itchy for her, but she doesn't seem to mind if I touch the pustules.

Is there anything else I can do? Would more time diaper free work? Do I need to switch to disposables until I get off the abx? until it goes away? Any help/advice at all would be appreciated.

[Maze of Mirrors]

I've definitely dealt with diaper rash.  When I've been on antibiotics, every time, my son gets a yeast rash.  I tried everything.  Lotramin is supposed to work but didn't.  For us the rash didn't go away completely, until I was done with the antibiotics.  As far as disposable vs cloth, I say cloth.  I tried disposable, thinking it would pull moisture away, didn't work.  It's almost summer, and getting warmer, so maybe diaper-less will give your daughter some ease.  Another side note, if there are open sores, absolutely do NOT put powder on it.  My mom insisted and although I thought it was a bad idea, I tried it.  Yep, he screamed, it was painful.  Good luck, diaper rashes are so persistent.  Oh, I almost forgot.  Have you ever tried Grandma El's.  It's really good for prevention and when you see the first signs and for soothing the pain.  And it washes off of cloth diapers.

(Let me know if you have any other rash questions.  If there is a remedy out there, chances are I've tried it.)

[organicviolin]

Mother love sells a yeast diaper rash cream for thrush (to be put on mama's nipples and baby butt).  That could help.  Keep doing diaper free and also raw manuka honey umf 16+ (if older than 1 yr) can be put directly on the rash.  Keep taking those probiotics for both of you because that will ultimately help.  A friend of mine couldn't get rid of a yeast diaper rash/thrush until she and her entire family went gluten free - if you suspect that you may be sensitive to gluten it may be worth a shot.

HTH!

[crystal_buffaloe]

Update: The rash has gotten worse There are big pustules and some of them have broken open. It hurts me to look at it -- I feel so badly and am really fighting the urge to just quit on day 3 of my antibiotics. How are we supposed to deal with 7 more days of this ??

Would it do any good if I took a dose of Diflucan? (The dr gave me one in case I developed a yeast infection.)

Would Destin of Butt Paste help? (We still have samples of those from when DD was a newborn) I've just been using a beeswax and olive oil based cream save for cloth diapers up til now.

Would it help or hurt to give more than one bath per day? Should I be adding vinegar or baking soda to the bathwather?

[RiverandJulie]

I am a full time cloth diaperer.....Until DS gets a diaper rash.  The switch to disposables really helps clear it up.  He has only gotten one nasty, bloody, one.  It would not go away, until I switched to disposables.  I did lots of diaper free time and disposables with LOTS of diaper cream.  I kept switching creams.   the disposables really helped it quickly.

Now, when he gets a diaper rash that starts to look nasty, I switch to disposables.  Usually by the end of teh day it is better.

[Aufilia]

I would switch to disposables for the duration and try a cream made for thrush treatment -- when we had thrush/yeast with my daughter I used the compounded nipple cream my midwife prescribed (the Newman's "All Purpose Nipple Ointment") on her but as well as my nipples and it worked really well.  It was anti-fungal and anti-biotic which helped the sores heal up IMO. 

[mamandedeux]

If the Lotrimin isn't working, have you tried a different yeast cream? Maybe Diflucan in cream form? If 2 anti-yeast creams don't work, I'd see a doctor, in case this isn't yeast. Both my kids have had bad eczema outbreaks, and it can look at lot like yeast (some types of eczema will also create pustules).

Although I,m a die-hard cloth lover, I also vote for disposables while trying to clear the rash. Yeast is very hard to destroy in dipes.

Good luck!

[Thursday Girl]

when my daughter had diaper yeast I used gentian violet. It had also gotten to the open pustules (i thougit was just rash at first and was putting diaper cream on it, not a good idea) also diaper free time and sunshine

[Abraisme]

Lotramin lotion worked for my DD's yeast diaper rash.  It took a full 7 days, but it did heal slowly.  She wears disposable diapers.

[crystal_buffaloe]

Update again: After switching to disposables for nap/bedtime, it has gotten much better. She's going diaperless in the areas of the house without carpet and a little bit outside pretty much all day, and I've been doing Lotramin 2x a day and Neosporin at other times (so those are 2 of the ingredients for APNO ). I'm sunning all the diapers right now and trying to decide what else I want to do before I put her back in the cloth (bleach? boil? would I just put the grapeseed extract in with the wash? I really don't want to do anything that wuold mess with the absorbancy, but I don't want the yeast to crop back up either).

We couldn't get into the doctor until Monday.

[Maze of Mirrors]

how about a baking soda soak?

[crystal_buffaloe]

Update again: Okay, I just got back from the doctor and she agreed it looked like yeast -- she said to just keep doing what we're doing with going diaperless and using Lotramin, but not to use any more neosporin since it isn't a bacterial infection. If it doesn't continue to get better, she gave me a prescription for Nystatin, so we'll see over the next few days how things work out.

Is the baking soda soak for the diapers or for the baby? (I'm assuming the baby , but I guess I don't know for sure) would that be good sine it's yeast? I thought it was more for contact diaper irritation (balancing the pH and all of that)

[Maze of Mirrors]

I soaked the diapers in baking soda and water. I didn't notice anything different with my son's diaper rash when I did soak the diapers.  And I have to tell you, I tried a lot of stuff and most of it didn't work but it was worth a try.  I guess that's why I'm telling you...maybe its worth a try. 

We did use Nystatin for thrush and it worked.

[kaimalia]

Hi,  We had a persistent diaper rash, luckily only a few popped pistules - but they were nasty.  I have a few suggestions that I found on the internet and got from our pediatricians nurse that were helpful for me:

Rash: for the open pistules, definitely diaper free time.  After wiping from dirty diaper or bath -  let rash air dry and then apply a VERY SMALL amount of neosporin/bacitracin to open sore.  Then cover the antibiotic with a layer of diaper cream (I used weleda) to seal it from urine/feces.  B/c we use cloth (FuzziBunz) I switched to diposables while using the diaper cream.

I also read that when the rash is starting or not too bad (b/c it will likely come back) too spray area with diluted apple cider vinegar.  This will sting a regular rash, but won't sting a yeast rash.  I kept a small spray bottle with 50% mix of apple cider vinegar and water on changing table and would spray after wiping poop.  I occassionally put a thin layer of yogurt on rash for a change of treatment. 

Bath:  you can also put a couple capfuls of apple cider vinegar in the bath water.  Also some yogurt in bath water can be helpful as well.

Diapers:  you need to treat your cloth diapers like this even for a couple weeks or so after rash clears up.  This is how I treated my FuzziBunz:

Grapefruit Seed Extract - http://www.vitacost.com/NutriBiotic-GSE-Liquid-Concentrate-Grapefruit-Seed-Extract

Oxygen Bleach  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oxygen-Cleaner-All-Purpose-Stain-Remover-Powder/13908578

1. cold water pre-rinse - sometimes use baking soda here to neutralize urine smell

2.  hot wash with half scoop charlie's soap, 1-2 scoops oxygen cleaner, 80 drops (yup, eighty) Grapefruit Seed Extract

3. cold rinse that is part of wash cycle

4.  extra cold rinse cycle

5.  line dry in sun if weather permits.

good luck